Talking photograph album

ABSTRACT

A photograph album in which a playing device housing for recorded material forms the means for holding individual pages provided with photographs, the pages being fastened to the housing to form a talking book. Support arms, extending from the playing device housing, provide support for the fastened individual pages. The pages are secured to the support arms by means of a fastening device which passes through each individual page and through the support arms and is locked in place. The support arms are disposed midway between the top and bottom of the playing device housing, so that the pages can be attached above and below the support arms, thereby minimizing the stresses placed on the individual pages when turning the pages.

United States Patent [191 Breitling et al.

Filed:

Appl. No.: 103,763

TALKING PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM Inventors: Julius Breitling, Bayside; BernardPollack, Brooklyn, both of N.Y.

Ltd., Brooklyn, N.Y.

Jan. 4, 1971 References Cited UNITED STATES 1/1971 Paige 11/1929McMillan 9/1970 Foetzetal....

[1.8. CI Int. Cl. Field of Search Assignee: Sight & Sound WeddingAlbums,

274/4 C G1 1b 5/00 PATENTS 274/4 B 402/79 X 35/8 A 9/1966 Clawson 274/9C [111 3,741,565 June 26, 1973 Primary Examiner-Harry N. HaroianAttorney-Friedman & Goodman A photograph album in which a playing devicehousing for recorded material forms the means for holding individualpages provided with photographs, the pages being fastened to the housingto form a talking book. Support arms, extending from the playing devicehousing, provide support for the fastened individual pages. The pagesare secured to the support arms by means of a fastening device whichpasses through each individual page and through the support arms and islocked in place. The support arms are disposed midway between the topand bottom of the playing device housing, so that the pages can beattached above and below the support arms, thereby minimizing thestresses placed on the individual pages when turning the pages.

ABSTRACT 9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PAIENIEDJUIZG I973 SHEEI 1 0F 2FIG.

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3g JULIUS BRl'll'l'IJNG BERNARD POLLACk NVENTORS ATTORNEY SPAIiNIinJuuzs ms 3.741.565

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J U mus BREI'IIJING BERNARD POLLACK HO INVENTOR 5 ATTORNEY S TALKINGPHOTOGRAPH ALBUM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field ofthe InventionThis invention relates to combined visual and auditory devices ingeneral and, in particular, to apparatus for housing photographs withrelated auditory material.

2. Description of the Prior Art In the past, it has been difficult topresent visual material such as photographs in conjunction with recordedauditory material because of the difficulty of provided a convenientapparatus for packaging both the visual material and the auditorymaterial. The player for the recorded auditory material is oftenseparately packaged from the book or folder containing the visualmaterial and, as a result, one or the other of these items would beseparated, misplaced or lost. Prior attempts to combine the visualmaterial with the playing device for recorded material produced fairybulky devices which could not be conveniently used in both capacities.Either the performance of the playing device is comprised tofacilitatedesign of the holder for the visual material or vice-versa. Very often,for example, the visual material cannot be conveniently handled andoften is permanently. damaged by repeated use, because of the difficultyin turning the pages of material in the binding which is formed as partof the playing device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To overcome the problems inherent in the priorart, the present invention sets forth a playing device-book combinationin which a playing device for recorded material is installed within ahousing which housing acts as a binding for a book. Individual bookleaves, preferably provided-with photographs, are fastened to a supportmember in the housing by an external binding post which passes throughthe individual leaves and the housing. The pages are placed on eitherside of the support member of the housing to efficiently mount the pageswith a minimum of stress on the individual leaves and on the. housingitself. Front and back covers are also connected to the housing tocomplete the book.

Accordingly, in view of the above, it is an object of the presentinvention to provide a combination of a playing device for recordedmaterial and a photograph album, which is assembled as a single unit andwhich can be effectively used in either or both capacities.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a playing devicefor recorded material which can be integrated as a part of a bookconstruction to be used in conjunction with the material in the book.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bookcomposed of individual pages or photographs which book can be assembledin conjunction with a playing device for recorded material to allow useof the visual and the auditory material, either separately or inconjunction with each other.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide acombination of a playing device for recorded material and a book orphotograph album which is relatively inexpensive and easy tomanufacture.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide acombination of a playing device for recorded material and a book whichhas a convenient means for fastening the individual leaves of the bookto the playing device, so as to produce a minimum of stress on eitherthe leaves of the book or on the playing device for recorded materialwhen either of the two is in use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a combination of aplaying device for recorded material and a book or photograph album inwhich the recorded material can be easily changed within the playingdevice for other recorded material.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a combinationof a playing device for recorded material and a book or photograph albumin which the controls for the playing device can be easily operatedwithout having to disturb the visual material.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a combinationof a playing device for recorded material and a book or photograph albumwhich combination effectively encloses all of the working members of theplaying device and which does not require a carrying case fortransportation.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription of an embodiment of the invention and the novel featureswill be particularly pointed out hereinafter in connection with theappended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bookor photograph album built in accordance with the teachings of theDESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A book or photograph album,generally indicated at 10, has a visual display portion, generallyindicated at 12, and a playing device for recorded material, generallyindicated at 14. The visual display portion includes a plurality ofleaves or pages, preferably provided with photographs, generallyindicated at 16, a top cover 18, and a bottom cover 20, all of which arefastened to a housing 22 for the playing device.

As shown in the present embodiment, the playing device is a standardtype of cassette tape player consisting of a control section having afront panel 24, having a loud speaker 26, a volume and tone control 28,a single selector switch 30 for controlling play, stop, fast forward andrewind, an AC electrical power adaptor 32, and a receptacle forbatteries 34, with a cover for the receptacle 36 and latching device 38and 40 on the cover and front panel respectively, to hold the batterycover in place.

The device 14 plays a-cassette 42 which is mounted in a cassette housing44 formed by parallel walls 46 and 48, extending perpendicularly fromfront panel 24, and a rear wall 50. Cassette 42 sits within cassettehousing 44 and is driven by drive spools 52 extending from the floor 54of the housing, and is secured in place by means of cassette cover 56which slidably engages grooves 58 in the left parallel wall 46 ofcassette housing 44 and in the right parallel wall 48 of the housing(not shown).

A flat support arm extends rearward from either side of the controlsection of the housing for the playing device. Left support arm 60 andright support arm 62 are positioned approximately midway from the top 64and the bottom 66 of the playing device housing and extend rearward tothe ends of the left and right parallel walls 46 and 48 respectively.Mounting arms 60 and 62 have mounting holes 68 and 70 respectively whichare used for the fastening of the individual leaves of the book orphotograph album, as will be explained below.

As shown in FIG. 3, an individual leaf or page generally indicated at72, is generally rectangular in shape and includes a cut out portion 73to form a left and right mounting arm 74 and 76 respectively, havingmounting holes 78 and 80 respectively which are used to fasten the leafto the support arms of the playing device housing, as previouslydescribed. The individual leaves include a frame portion 82 and a centerportion 84 which receives the subject matter, preferably a photograph.The photograph may be disposed on the portion 84 or inserted below atransparent material (not shown) associated with the portion 84 in aconventional manner well known in the art.

The individual leaves are placed on the support arms of the housing sothat the leaf mounting arms 74 and 76 will be stacked on the supportarms 60 and 62 respectively of the housing. The spacing between themounting arms corresponds to the spacing between the right and leftparallel walls extending from the control section of the playing devicehousing, and the spacing of the mounting holes in the support arms andthe mounting arms also correspond.

When the desired number of leaves are placed on the support arms of thehousing, top and bottom cover members 18 and 20 respectively are placedover the top of the housing, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Binding posts 86and 88 are then passed through the left and right mounting arms andsupport arms respectively to hold the covers, the leaves, and thesupport arms in fixed relation to each other and effectively bind thebook or photograph album. Each binding post is formed from a screw bolt90 and a nut 92 to form a single individual unit. When all the pageshave been added, the nut is tightened down on to the threaded portion ofthe screw bolt to fasten the entire assembly.

In order to prevent the bolt 90 and the nut 92 from protruding andpresenting a safety hazard to the user of the device, and to preventaccidental loosening of the members, both the top and bottom coversprovide means for effectively covering the protruding ends of thebinding posts. As shown in FIG. 5, top cover 18 includes a heavy coversection 94 and a hinge section 96 which includes three separate folds ofmateriaL- Top section 98 which is continuous with cover section 94connects to a bottom section 100 which, in turn, connects to a coversection 102. Bottom section 100 of top cover 18 is the only one of thethree hinge sections which has mounting holes to accommodate bindingposts 86 and 88. Cover section 102 folds over bottom section 100 betweentop section 98 and effectively covers the protruding end of the bindingpost.

Similarly, bottom cover 20 includes a cover section 104, a hinge section106 having a top, bottom and cover section 108, 110 and 112respectively, which perform in exactly the same manner as theircounterparts in the top cover 18.

The uses of the book or photograph album are varied and numerous. Forexample, visual displays such as photographs can be placed on theindividual pages and pre-recorded tape cassettes can be played in theplaying section to explain or complement the visual displays, such asfor wedding, family, baby and like photographs, wherein the story of theevent is told with particular reference being made to specificindividuals or subjects shown in the photographs to provide a talkingphotograph album.

Other, more complex, uses can include using the playing device tocomplement material which may be placed into the visual display portion.For example, when used as a teaching aid, an instructor can placeindividual material on to individual leaves and can then play variouscomments or questions in relation to the visual material, which will beheard by the person viewing the visual material. Additionally, theapparatus can be used as a testing device in which the pre-recordedmaterial consists of a series of questions to be answered by writing ormaking notes on the leaves of the book.

It should be noted that mounting of the support arms midway between thetop and bottom of the playing device housing produces a minimum ofstrain on both the support arms of the housing and the mounting arms ofthe individual pages because a minimum of bending of the pages isnecessary in order for the viewer to obtain visual access to each page.If the support arms were located at either the top or bottom of thehousing, it would be necessary to bend each and every individual page inorder to get at the pages at the opposite position of the support arm.

It should be noted that all of the controls for the tape recorder deviceare located on the front of the panel including the volume and tonecontrol, a single selector switch for controlling play, top, fastforward and rewind, an AC electrical power adaptor, and battery accesscover. Therefore, the device can be safely and easily used by people oftender age without fear of unnecessary complication.

It should also be noted that the cassette and the entire playingapparatus are completely and safely enclosed within the housing and thecovers during normal periods of operation. Since they are not subject tothe hazards normally associated with transporting a device such as this,it is not necessary to provide a special protective carrying case forthe device.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials andarrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustratedin order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by thoseskilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention asexpressed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A book provided with a playing device, said playing device comprisingat least top and bottom panels, a cassette tape player disposed betweensaid top and bottom panels, a front panel of said playing deviceconnected to said top and bottom panels and enclosing said tape playerwithin said playing device, control means disposed on at least one panelof said playing device for activating and controlling said tape player,a cassette housing, said cassette housing including a pair of parallelvertical walls extending from said front panel and disposed between saidtop and bottom panels in a horizontally spaced relation to receive tapecassettes therebetween, operative components of said tape playerextending into said cassette housing for playing the tape cassettes,support means for mounting of book leaves thereon disposedintermediately between said top and bottom panels, said support meansincluding a pair of horizontally spaced support arms, one of saidsupport arms extending horizontally outwardly from one side of saidcassette housing and being connected to one of said parallel walls, theother of said support arms extending horizontally outwardly from anopposite side of said cassette housing and being connected to the otherof said parallel walls, each of said support arms including flat upperand lower surfaces for supporting said book leaves, each of said bookleaves including a body portion and two mounting arms extendingoutwardly from one side of said body portion for association with saidsupport arms, said mounting arms being horizontally spaced apart todefine an aperture for receiving said cassette housing between saidmounting arms, each of said body portions extending outwardly from saidcassettte housing in a direction away from said front panel, andfastening means for securing said mounting arms to said support arms.

2. A book according to claim 1, wherein said mounting arms and saidsupport arms are provided with apertures to receive said fasteningmeans.

3. A book according to claim 1, wherein said body portion of each ofsaid book leaves includes a frame portion and a center portion forreceiving a photograph.

4. A book according to claim 1, wherein said support arms are disposedapproximately midway between said top and bottom panels.

5. A book according to claim 1, wherein said cassette housing isprovided with a cover slidably coacting with said parallel verticalwalls to enclose a tape cassette within said cassette housing.

6. A book according to claim 1, wherein said book includes top andbottom cover means for said book leaves with said book leaves beingdisposed between said top and bottom cover means.

7. A book according to claim 6, wherein each of said top and bottomcover means includes a cover section and a hinge section, said fasteningmeans securing each hinge section to said mounting and support arms.

8. A book according to claim 7, wherein each hinge section includes anoverlay portion for folding over said fastening means to effectivelycover protruding portions of said fastening means.

9. A book according to claim 1, wherein said control means includes aswitch for controlling forward play, stop and rewind functions of saidtape player, and said control means further including a control memberfor regulating volume of said tape player.

1. A book provided with a playing device, said playing device comprisingat least top and bottom panels, a cassette tape player disposed betweensaid top and bottom panels, a front panel of said playing deviceconnected to said top and bottom panels and enclosing said tape playerwithin said playing device, control means disposed on at least one panelof said playing device for activating and controlling said tape player,a cassette housing, said cassette housing including a pair of parallelvertical walls extending from said front panel and disposed between saidtop and bottom panels in a horizontally spaced relation to receive tapecassettes therebetween, operative components of said tape playerextending into said cassette housing for playing the tape cassettes,support means for mounting of book leaves thereon disposedintermediately between said top and bottom panels, said support meansincluding a pair of horizontally spaced support arms, one of saidsupport arms extending horizontally outwardly from one side of saidcassette housing and being connected to one of said parallel walls, theother of said support arms extending horizontally outwardly from anopposite side of said cassette housing and being connected to the otherof said parallel walls, each of said support arms including flat upperand lower surfaces for supporting said book leaves, each of said bookleaves including a body portion and two mounting arms extendingoutwardly from one side of said body portion for association with saidsupport arms, said mounting arms being horizontally spaced apart todefine an aperture for receiving said cassette housing between saidmounting arms, each of said body portions extending outwardly from saidcassettte housing in a direction away from said front panel, andfastening means for securing said mounting arms to said support arms. 2.A book according to claim 1, wherein said mounting arms and said supportarms are provided with apertures to receive said fastening means.
 3. Abook according to claim 1, wheRein said body portion of each of saidbook leaves includes a frame portion and a center portion for receivinga photograph.
 4. A book according to claim 1, wherein said support armsare disposed approximately midway between said top and bottom panels. 5.A book according to claim 1, wherein said cassette housing is providedwith a cover slidably coacting with said parallel vertical walls toenclose a tape cassette within said cassette housing.
 6. A bookaccording to claim 1, wherein said book includes top and bottom covermeans for said book leaves with said book leaves being disposed betweensaid top and bottom cover means.
 7. A book according to claim 6, whereineach of said top and bottom cover means includes a cover section and ahinge section, said fastening means securing each hinge section to saidmounting and support arms.
 8. A book according to claim 7, wherein eachhinge section includes an overlay portion for folding over saidfastening means to effectively cover protruding portions of saidfastening means.
 9. A book according to claim 1, wherein said controlmeans includes a switch for controlling forward play, stop and rewindfunctions of said tape player, and said control means further includinga control member for regulating volume of said tape player.